Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Co-Existing in Harmony with Nature Newsletter November 2016 Blantyre Branch WESM MEETING NOVEMBER 2016 Dave Montreuil will give a wildlife presentation this Tuesday at the Blantyre Sports Club. Dave will highlight interesting and amusing stories witnessed while in pursuit of the perfect picture. Kids are welcome and encouraged to to come to this WESM meeting! This talk has been given at both SAIPS and Hillview elementary schools, and will include new items as well. LENGWE MONTH! Lots has happened in Lengwe this month - a game count, construction of new thief and tamper proof boreholes and pumps, and the arrests of 18 people involved in a large scale illegal logging operation deep inside Lengwe National Park. Seizures of tractors, bulldozers and more - Read all about it on page 6! DATES FOR YOUR DIARY TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER MEETING LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND WESM COMMITTEE MEMBER DAVE MONTREUIL SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER - 10 am WESM KIDS DISCOVERY WORKSHOP TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER MEETING WESM S 2017 CALENDAR OUT NOW Everyone is interested in this! Available now for K6000 for WESM members or K6500 for not-yet members at La Caverna, Crystals, Jambo Africa, and at any WESM event. Photos by WESM members, proceeds go to conservation! (Keep up to date on Facebook!) THE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY OF MALAWI BLANTYRE BRANCH PO BOX 903 BLANTYRE wesmbt@africa-online.net www.wildlifemalawi.org/blantyre/ facebook - wildlifeblantyre
QUIZ NIGHT By Dave Montreuil WESM s second Quiz Night of the year has come and gone. Despite occurring during midterm break, we had a turnout of 16 teams, with 3rd place going to Hoof Hearted ; 2nd place to Wildlife, and first place to Strangers in the Night. Congratulations to them and all the participants! WESM s conservation efforts also won big this evening. We raised K138,000 from the quiz entry fees and K165,000 from the raffle. Along with a few sold second-hand books, we raised K307,000 at the quiz night, and picked up a few more members as well! Here are some photos from the night - more will be up on our Facebook page and website in the near future! A big thank you to everyone (the participants, the WESM committee, Blantyre Sports club, our donors and our Quiz Master James Hinde) who made this night a success! THANK YOU! WESM Blantyre would like to thank the following businesses for their support of our fundraising quiz. The prizes donated for the quiz and the raffle prizes helped to make the evening the success it was. The night made K307,000 that goes directly to our conservation efforts. This would not have been possible without your efforts - Thank you! WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 2
49th ANNUAL LENGWE GAME COUNT by Paul Taylor The 49 th Annual Lengwe Game Count was carried out over the weekend of 7-9 October at the only two waterholes containing water, namely Main (Hayes Hide) and Lodge waterhole. In fact, on checking the situation on Friday afternoon it was found that there was very little water in Main Hide which was only remedied by DNPW pumping water all night and the next day. Previously, the Branch had funded the cleaning of the hide and the erection of screen grass fencing. There was the usual problem of insufficient experienced recorders but the novices counted enthusiastically and enjoyed taking part. The counting took place from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm on the Saturday and Sunday, the noonday temperature was 40c which rose to 44c in the afternoon. As can be seen from the results, game numbers were depressingly low but this is unlikely to improve unless there is a radical improvement in law enforcement in Lengwe. Six people camped with the remainder enjoying the luxury of air conditioned chalets, one of whom had a hair raising time in the shower. Nyala Lodge provided the usual high standard of hospitality including the extremely welcoming deep and cool plunge pool. Next year will be the 50 th Annual Count and with a total of eleven waterholes operating around the Park, a decision will have to be made how many to cover considering the lack of experienced people. One possibility is reverting to the original four hides Main, North Thicket, Jasi Road and Makanga. THE NUMBERS FOR THE LENGWE GAME COUNT by Dave Montreuil Here are the official tallies for this year s game count. Historically, the numbers were much higher. This year shows an overall increase over last year s count, which took place for the same duration at the same two water holes. The exception being the numbers of nyala which are down from last year. See the next page for more details TOTAL NYALA 149 Nyala Adult Males 35 Nyala Adult Females 67 Nyala Young Male 9 Nyala Young Female 18 Nyala Calves Male 3 Nyala Calves Female 17 TOTAL BUSHBUCK 140 Bushbuck Adult Male 24 Bushbuck Adult Female 69 Bushbuck Young Male 5 Bushbuck Young Female 42 TOTAL IMPALA 260 Impala Adult Male 33 Impala Adult Female 202 Impala Young Male 16 Impala Young Female 9 TOTAL BUFFALO 75 Buffalo Adult Male 58 Buffalo Adult Female 9 Buffalo Young Male 8 (Note from Dave Montreuil - circa 250 buffalo seen the week after the count TOTAL WARTHOG 59 Warthog Adult Male 35 Warthog Adult Female 24 TOTAL SUNI 12 Suni Adult Male 9 Suni Adult Female 3 TOTAL KUDU 5 Kudu Adult Male 5 WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 3
THE NUMBERS FOR THE LENGWE GAME COUNT (cont.) I have attempted to continue the excellent work from last year s Game Count by Dr John Wilson. I have tried very hard to make sure my math is correct - but it certainly might have mistakes! Looking at the data for the numbers of nyala, we again see a substantial decrease - 51 less this year with a total 149 nyala recorded. Year Total Nyala Difference % difference 1981 2,204 2009 808-1,396-63.3% 2010 604-204 -25% 2011 n/c 2012 777 +173 + 28.6% 2013 388-389 - 50% 2014 321-67 - 17.3% 2015 200+ -121-37.7% 2016 149-61 -25.5% Other numbers have to be viewed rather encouragingly. We see substantial increases for almost every other species recorded. I am going go out on a limb and guess that last year just a low year for the count and not necessarily a trend. But there has certainly been a trend of declining numbers when taken looked at from twenty or even ten years ago. I will try to get a professional to write something up in the near future. Species 2014 2015 Difference % Difference 2016 % Difference Impala 335 104+ -231-69% 260 +150% Bushbuck 118 28+ -90-76.3 % 140 +400% Warthog 53 24+ -29-54.7% 59 +145% Kudu 11 1-10 - 90.9% 5 +400% Suni 11 5-6 - 54.5% 12 +140% Bushpig 7 nil -7-100% 0 0 (no change) Other Species Seen: Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Samango (Blue) Monkey, Slender Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, Scrub Hare, Monitor Lizard No nocturnal species were seen on a night drive. No animals were seen carrying snares. WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 4
LENGWE NATIONAL PARK: WATERHOLES by Paul Taylor One of the major problems for the animals of Lengwe was a source of permanent water. Before the rapid increase in human population and the establishment of large sugar plantations the game could migrate in the dry season to the Mwanza and Shire Rivers. Because of this problem, the Reserve was in danger of being deproclaimed and the remaining Nyala translocated to Mwabvi Game Reserve; however many more Nyala than were originally estimated were discovered hiding in the dense thickets. In 1964 Prime Minister, Dr Banda, intervened and ordered the retention of the Reserve and the provision of a borehole. By 1970 four boreholes were established and the population of Nyala and other species flourished. In 1970 Lengwe was granted National Park status and in 1975 it was expanded to include a vast new area in the west along the Mozambique border. There were however constant problems with the supply of water to the pans as pumps broke down, some were stolen, lack of DNPW funding to repair and replace and the supply of diesel. Fortunately SUCOMA / ILLOVO came to the rescue and agreed to pump its water into the Park. There were still many problems as understandably the sugar estate gave priority to its plantations and DNPW often had difficulty in maintaining the pipelines. In 2010 WESM Blantyre Branch provided Beit Trust funding to drill a borehole at Nyala Lodge and the latter provided the pump. As well as providing water for the Lodge it could also pump to Main Hide in an emergency and the emergency frequently occurred. The World Bank which is providing a large sum in support of Lengwe has recognised the vital importance of reliable water resources spread around the Park and state-of-theart, vandal-proof, theft-proof, bomb-proof solar powered pumps have been installed with great support from Jambo Africa, at Link Pan, Main, North Thicket, Nyanga, South Thicket, Makanga, West Makanga (here it is intended to run the water into a gully, hopefully providing a dambo area which may attract the reedbuck as well as other species), Jasi Camp (this will be a new scout camp), Jasi Road, Jasi Pan, Nyati and the Park Offices. If these developments are accompanied by a radical improvement in Law Enforcement we could see Lengwe National Park restored to its former unique glory (Paul Taylor) WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 5
The arrest of Mozambican and Chinese nationals, by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), illegally operating a Mopane Wood cutting extraction operation within the Extension Area of Lengwe National Park, Malawi. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) received tip offs that there was a Mozambican logging operation active in the Extension Area of Lengwe National Park in Malawi. They were extracting the Mopane trees from the Extension Area of Lengwe NP and transporting them into Mozambique to sell. Following the covert operation involving all of their field staff they arrested a team inside the Extension Area on 1st/2nd November. A GPS recorded the site of the arrest and these coordinates are plotted on a map of the area. Map showing GPS point at which the illegal timber cutting team were arrested deep inside Lengwe National Park. On 1 st and 2 nd November DNPW arrested one Portuguese origin Mozambican and two Chinese nationals plus about 15 Mozambican labourers from the sites of timber extraction inside Lengwe NP. The arrests were made deep in Lengwe NP as can be seen on the map, and not close to the Mozambique border (yellow line). The arrests were made approximately 5 kilometres into Lengwe National park from the Mozambique border. WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 6
Mozambican (Jose Manuel) and Chinese National (Ying Lee) under arrest at Lengwe National Parks Headquarters for the illegal extraction of Mopane hardwood from Malawi into Mozambique. (Also under arrest, Chinese national Shupei Zen not shown) The equipment confiscated from the inside of Lengwe National park is: 6 4x4 Tractors 2 Caterpillar bulldozer / road grader 1 thirty-ton lorry 1 Toyota Hilux 1 Toyota Landcruiser 2 chainsaws The value of this equipment is estimated in the order of $1m plus. 3 of the six confiscated tractors, along with a chainsaw found at time of arrests. On the morning of 3 rd November a delegation from the Mozambique Police force and the Malawi Police force arrived at Lengwe NP headquarters and moved all equipment to Chikwawa police station. There is a counter-claim that the Mozambicans have been kidnapped from Mozambique and are being held against their will in Malawi. Local reports state that the team has been extracting Mopane since at least March 2016. The arrested Mozambican and Chinese nationals claimed all of the equipment belonged to them except for the chainsaws for which they stated they knew nothing about. A case file number should be available from 5 th November onwards. This is important as it can be used to follow up proceedings and should be requested by all interested parties. WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 7
WESM DISCOVERY WORKSHOP - CREEPY CRAWLIES! On October 29th, Hillview Elementary School hosted the WESM s Discovery Workshop for kids entitled Creepy Crawlies! Helene Bovy again led an informative and pretty darn cool workshop with a few of the strangest creatures present on our planet. Dave Montreuil led the craft - making creepy creature masks from paper plates. The results were predictably spooky and very imaginative. Many thanks to Hillview school, including Neil Stewart and Kathrin Chisi for providing the venue and all their support to this event. The next Discovery Workshop for kids will be again held at Hillview Elementary, on Saturday the 26th of November from 10am until 12pm. WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 8
WESM TEA TOWELS - GREAT GIFT IDEA! In the tradition of the WESM calendar - light, thin, easy to pack and send in the post - WESM tea towels are available in time for Christmas. There are 3 styles - Cape Buffalo, Red Bishop, and Tortoise attacking a snail. Available at all WESM f u n c t i o n s f o r j u s t K 5 0 0 0. Yo u c a n a l s o e m a i l davemontreuil@gmail.com to arrange pick up. TIME FOR FERTILIZER The rains are almost here. Get your horse manure at K500 by the bag, and support WESM at the same time. Arrange pick up in Mandala on Saturdays with Axel via email - axelfielvard@gmail.com. BYOB (Bring your own bag!) VULTURE REPORTING NEEDED Here is a call for all WESM members to help in reporting any vultures they encounter anywhere in Malawi. You can email WESM s ornithologist, Tiwonge Gawa at birdsmalawi@gmail.com with date, time, place and species of vulture. Keeping track of these birds is important, as vulture numbers around the world are declining rapidly. This photo shows a White-backed vulture nest at Lengwe, quite close to the campsite. On the next page is a report from a researcher, Emmanouela Galanou, who spent two months studying vultures in Malawi. BLANTYRE BRANCH COMMITTEE Chairman Paul Taylor Treasurer Mike Bamford Secretary OPEN! Membership Secretary OPEN! Corporate Membership Caroline Beehan Calendar Coordinator Phil Pile Wildlife Research Officer Tiwonge Gawa Website & Photos Dave Montreuil Mulanje & Nyika Rep. Carl Bruessow Environmental Education & Helene Bovy Grants Officer THE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY OF MALAWI BLANTYRE BRANCH PO BOX 903 BLANTYRE wesmbt@africa-online.net www.wildlifemalawi.org/blantyre/ facebook - wildlifeblantyre WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 9
The misunderstood vulture Emmanouela Galanou, Brighton Chunga, and Anil Graves Cranfield Institute of Risks and Futures, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL UK Vultures are a keystone species facing an alarming decrease in numbers globally. They do have something of an image problem. However, these scavenging birds feed on the carcasses of dead mammals, and given this gruesome food supply it can sometimes be hard to sympathise with them. But vultures are of great value as scavengers, a fact which is often overlooked or underappreciated. Their stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, allowing them to safely digest putrid carcasses infected with toxins and bacteria that would be lethal to other scavengers. I (Emmanouela Galanou) spent two months in Malawi this summer studying the ecosystem services the vulture provides to Nyika National Park. The research expedition included trips throughout Malawi to meet with various stakeholders such as environmental organisations and park managers. The study was supported by Cranfield University and the Nyika Vwaza Trust, a UK-based registered charity dedicated to the conservation of the Park. The Park in northern Malawi contains a wide range of habitats including extensive upland grasslands and dambos, as well as miombo woodland, montane moist forest patches and even a remnant juniper forest. Nyika is a niche tourist destination that has some 430 bird species and attracts a large number of bird spotters. Antelopes such as eland, zebra and reedbuck are common residents. Elephants and yellow baboons wander close to the woodland and terrestrial scavengers such as leopards and hyenas are common night wanderers. There are several species here such as the white-backed vulture, lappet-faced vulture and the white-headed vulture which are considered to be endangered. Although poachers intentionally poison the carcasses throughout Africa, deliberate vulture poisoning is not the case in Nyika. Poaching activities on the plateau, however, result in a decrease in ungulate population as well as predators, and so diminished food sources for the vulture. WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 10
The area s few residents were more than happy to answer my questions and provide assistance when necessary. Staff at the safari lodge informed me about a dead reedbuck that was found in the dam. The carcass had been placed by local people next to the dam in a location where vultures could spot it and approach. A second observation involved a goat, which was placed in an open, grassy site. I was stationed with local employees of the Park about 30m from the carcass, behind rocks and bushes to prevent us from being seen by the vultures. The goat was killed j u s t b e f o re 9 a m. Vu l t u re s appeared in the sky within 10 minutes and started feeding on the carcass within another 20 minutes; 90% of the carcass was consumed in less than two hours. These monitoring techniques were a fascinating experience and a great opportunity to understand the species. Approximately 30 vultures were recorded four juvenile vultures as well an important indicator of breeding possibilities in the area. Part of my research involved a series of face-to-face interviews and questionnaire surveys among the Park s residents, visitors, local authorities, and environmental organisations. I was able to find out more about the awareness of stakeholders regarding the decline of vultures and understand people s emotional response towards the bird from the data that I collected. Results showed that the level of awareness regarding the decline of the vultures is very low only 33% of respondents were aware of the vulture s potential extinction. Additionally, results revealed that people were happy that the vulture exists, even if they did not directly benefit from the ecosystem services that the bird provides. Thus, there was an existence value attached to the vultures. The area s few residents were more than happy to answer my questions and provide assistance when necessary. Staff at the safari lodge informed me about a dead reedbuck that was found in the dam. The carcass had been placed by local people next to the dam in a location where vultures could spot it and approach. WESM Newsletter - September 2016 - Page 11
The research served as a valuable public relations exercise for the vulture. Awareness was raised during the fieldwork among local people as they started deliberately searching for vultures afterwards and reporting occurrences of vulture findings as part of their everyday routines. Little research has been undertaken on the vulture in Malawi. Visitors and tourism employees indicated that Nyika is largely directed to avitourism (birdwatching) which is an ecologically sustainable approach to wildlife tourism. This contributes to the economic development and environmental management of many sites which is essential for maintaining the bird populations. The ability of vultures to reveal poaching incidents is appreciated by the law enforcement team of the plateau. An increase in the number of vultures could be of further assistance in this battle against poaching. Vultures are not just victims of poaching but also a means of fighting the problem. Sound conservation policies require monitoring programmes in order to assess the scale of the problems facing local wildlife and then to observe the progress of projects that are implemented to improve wildlife populations. The avian monitoring techniques that were demonstrated during the fieldwork in Nyika provided essential information on public reaction towards a potential monitoring programme. It was encouraging to observe people s thoughtfulness and concern once the problem was presented to them. Tourists were not deterred by the site of vultures feeding on carcasses, but instead fascinated by it and the role it plays in the ecosystem. Conservation problems are complex and uncertain and so require well-studied, consistent strategies. An initial step for the conservation of the vulture in Nyika is to develop greater understanding of the ecological and economic benefits that it provides. In addition, a regular population monitoring programme needs to be developed in order to identify the scale of the problem and find effective solutions. Given that African vulture species are declining and some species may become extinct in the next 25 years, a conservation policy is of critical importance. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity to work in Africa by the Nyika Vwaza Trust. Also, during my research and travels in Malawi, I was supported and encouraged by many people who gave very generously of their time. I am very grateful to them for all they have taught me. Emmanouela Galanou, MSc student in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics WESM Newsletter - November 2016 - Page 12